Minimizing Non-Instructional Time at Excel Academy Charter School / Boston, MA

estled beside a pharmacy in one Principal: Komal Bhasin of Bostons poorer neighborhoods, School schedule: 7:30am3:45pm Excel Academy may be Early release: 7:30am1:30pm (Fri.) easy to miss. But this Additional time compared to schools success has caught the attention of educators surrounding district: 120 min/day in Boston and throughout and 7 days/year Massachusetts. Despite a Student Population student body that is largely low-income, last year, for Grades served: 58 the third consecutive year, Number of students: 212 Excel Academy scored in Qualify for free/reduced lunch: 72% the top 5 percent among middle schools across the Students Scoring At or Above Proficient state on the Massachusetts on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Comprehensive Assessment System Test in 2010 Assessment System (MCAS). (difference compared to surrounding Entering students are district) typically several grade ELA: 95% (+46%) levels behind when they come into Excel; in Math: 91% (+54%) 2010, after just one year at the school, 91 percent and 79 percent of these students scored proficient or above in ELA and math, respectively. An expanded school day2 hours longer than surrounding Boston public schoolshas allowed Excel to implement a rigorous curriculum, academic supports, engaging enrichment, and daily culture-building activities. To do so, educators at the school have intentionally planned out its time, designing routines and building expectations to maximize learning opportunities. Although our school day is long, says Rebecca Korb, Excels director of resource development, we need every minute of it to give each of our students a well-rounded education. Throughout its expanded school day, Excel educators have found additional time to fulfill their educational prioritiesby limiting the amount of non-instructional time, such as classroom transitions and homework checks. Near the start of each day, students submit all homework during homeroom, enabling each core academic teacher to deliver more content, instead of collecting and checking homework during class. At the end of each period, teachers, instead of students, move to different

Excel Academy Charter School

classescarrying their lesson materials in a cart to minimize the number of people transitioning, and consequently, the time lost to transitions. Rather than going to lockers after each period, students keep all class materials in the back of their homeroom and retrieve them at scheduled times during the day. Lunch, one of the most hectic periods of the day at many schools, is served in classrooms at Excel, eliminating travel time to and from a lunchroom. Excel schedules a one-week summer orientation session for all students to learn, or re-learn, routines and procedures. By the start of each school year, every student knows to place his/her homework on their desk as their homeroom teacher quickly circulates to check for completion. Students understand the expectations for noise and behavior during class breaks, and they recognize that break times are to be used productivelyto review academic content or engage in teacher-led, community-building activities. The week of summer orientation lets us teach what we expect of our students from the first day they walk into class, says Korb. By clearly articulating what we expect from them, even during periods where there isnt any direct instruction going on, we can transition back to those instructional activities more smoothly. Students also then learn that time is a precious commodity that we maximize to the fullest extent possible at Excel.

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